INCISE ACADEMY / APPLICATION GUIDE

INCISE Stamped Concrete

Give fresh concrete the texture of stone, with colour through the wearing surface and a contrasting tone in the recesses. The pattern is impressed into the slab while it is still workable.

Explore the steps

Ashlar stamped concrete driveway with a transverse contraction joint

Before the pour

Design the panels before the pattern.

Mark the pour stops, structural joints and pattern direction on the same plan. Agree a sample and organise enough mats and trained applicators to finish each panel within its working window.

INCISE supplies the materials and tools. A trained applicator installs the system.

Measure the hardener for each panel.

Pedestrian / residential3 kg/m²

6.67 m² per 20 kg bucket before wastage.

60% + 40%: 1.8 + 1.2 kg/m²

Commercial4 kg/m²

5 m² per 20 kg bucket before wastage.

60% + 40%: 2.4 + 1.6 kg/m²

Heavy industrial5 kg/m²

4 m² per 20 kg bucket before wastage.

60% + 40%: 3.0 + 2.0 kg/m²

For a 20 m² panel at 4 kg/m², measure 80 kg: four 20 kg buckets before wastage. Set aside 48 kg for the first broadcast and 32 kg for the second.

Tools and equipment

Straightedge, level, scales and scoop, bull float, hand floats, stamp mats and flexible edge skins, hand tamper, detailing tools, jointing or saw-cutting equipment, soft brush, rinse-water collection equipment, densifier applicator and sealer roller. Provide gloves, eye protection, boots and suitable respiratory protection for powdered products.

Academy / Site method

From fresh concrete to a sealed finish.

Lay out the panels

Set out the pour sequence, falls, borders, pattern direction and joint lines on one drawing. Size each pour to what the crew can cast, colour and stamp while workable. Dry-lay mats across a boundary to check how the next panel will start.

Application detail

Prepare the supporting base, membrane, forms and supported reinforcement to the slab design. Agree construction stops and isolation details with the designer. Approve a sample showing base colour, release tone, texture and sealed sheen.

Site check: Panel boundaries, drainage and the joint plan are marked before concrete arrives.

Place and level fresh concrete

Place concrete designed to reach at least 25 MPa at 28 days. Compact and strike to the specified levels and falls. Start at the planned panel and coordinate placing with the finishing crew.

Application detail

Watch each bay separately. Wait for surface bleed water to disappear while the concrete is still plastic and moist enough to wet the hardener. Do not use powder to soak up water or sprinkle water onto a crusted slab.

Site check: No free water; the slab remains receptive. Do not wait for concrete to cure.

Broadcast the first 60%

Weigh the Colour Hardener for the measured panel and specified traffic rate. Set aside 40% for the second broadcast. Distribute the first 60% low and evenly over the surface, including edges.

Application detail

Let the powder draw moisture from the slab and darken. Float it into the concrete. Do not premix it with polymer or water for this method.

Site check: The first addition is evenly moistened and incorporated; there are no dry piles.

Float in the remaining 40%

Distribute the balance across the first direction. Let it absorb moisture, then float it into the slab. Use a hand float at edges and borders. Work towards an even base colour and a level surface.

Application detail

This is where the stamped method differs from a smooth industrial floor. Leave the surface receptive to the mats; do not power-polish it closed or wait for it to harden.

Site check: The specified total quantity is in the slab. No loose hardener or standing water remains.

Dusting release onto the floated concrete

Dust the stamp face and the floor

Lightly coat the clean textured face of the stamp with INCISE Colour Release Agent. Dust the same release agent evenly onto the Colour Hardener surface immediately ahead of the stamping crew.

Application detail

Use only enough for clean separation and the approved antique tone. Avoid heaps, wind drift and contamination of adjoining finishes. Do not float release into the wearing surface or mix it with the Colour Hardener.

Site check: Both contact faces are treated; relief detail remains visible on the mat.

Test an impression, then stamp

Test at the starting edge. The surface should support the mat and produce a clean texture without the tool sinking or pulling paste. If too soft, wait and test again. If too hard to imprint, stop; do not rewet the slab.

Application detail

Align the first mats to the datum. Seat neighbouring mats snugly and tamp consistently. Lift each mat cleanly without dragging, then move it ahead. Check alignment every row and use skins or hand tools at walls, borders and corners.

Site check: Texture and depth match the sample. No doubled edges, dragged impressions or visible mat repeats in a straight line.

Cut joints and protect the cure

Begin the approved curing and protection regime as soon as stamping allows. Protect the coloured relief from rapid drying, rain, traffic and staining. Release powder alone is not a curing method.

Application detail

Form or saw contraction joints to the slab specification within the cutting window: before uncontrolled cracking, once edges will not ravel. Preserve construction and isolation joints across panels. Decorative grooves are not structural joints. Continue curing as specified; use a method compatible with subsequent cleaning and protection.

Site check: Real joints follow the design, even where they cross the pattern. The surface remains protected.

Clean back the excess release

Once the impression can tolerate cleaning, brush and rinse a small test area gently. Remove loose powder from high points while retaining the agreed accent in recesses. Match the approved sample before continuing across panels.

Application detail

Do not strip the base colour or wash before the edges are firm. Collect rinse water and sediment. Continue the specified curing regime where applicable. Remove curing residues incompatible with later treatments.

Site check: No loose release transfers from the cleaned test area. Pattern edges remain crisp.

Densify with INCISE Strong

On the suitably cured, clean and absorbent mineral surface, apply INCISE Strong to its current instructions. Test a representative area first, including the recesses; residual release can block penetration.

Application detail

Distribute uniformly. Observe the specified reaction time and remove excess as directed. Do not leave puddles or dried deposits in the texture.

Site check: The surface is uniform, residue-free and ready for the specified drying period.

Seal and release for use

Allow at least 14 days drying before sealing under the Colour Hardener specification. Confirm moisture against the chosen sealer’s limit; elapsed time alone does not establish readiness.

Application detail

Select the INCISE floor sealer for traffic, exposure and required slip resistance. Apply thin, even coats; avoid pooling in recesses. Observe recoat and cure intervals. Open to vehicles only when both concrete and sealer are ready for the design load.

Site check: The sealed sample and finish match; drainage works, joints remain functional and the client has care instructions.

Plan your stamped concrete floor.

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